Isabel

For me being a mother is a blessing from God and as well having work is also a blessing and I give thanks to God that I can work. The best part for me I think are those moments in our meetings that we all can share as a family, a family style dialog.

Among the pressures that I feel the hardest is the commitment that I have between my home and work. I try to be responsible in my work and give it all the attention I can to our customers so that they are satisfied. I worry about the possibility that things wont go well and that can cause loses in production.

As a woman I feel I have the ability to have a better relationship with other people. I feel productive. The workshops have made a difference in my family. Before the situation in my home was different, now there is more support for what I do because I have worked to teach other in my family. At the community level the workshops have helped me to be able to support other women.

I believe that the expectations in my family as to what was the role of a girl caused me to suffer. Mostly the expectations of my father who felt only the males should study and did not really value education. Today I support my daughters so that they do not suffer as I did and so that they have opportunities that I never had. I try to work with other young women too in that manner.

I have tried to inspire them with a dream and encouraged them to have an objective to be great people in our society, that they be successful people and that they fear God.

There are so many problems in our country. We know that, violence and criminality, the gangs, the lack of opportunity. I can say that those are things that really worry me.

The government tries but not enough. You hear about plans and policies to end the problem of criminality but we do not see results. Above all what we need is to work with families. In our schools we need for the word of God to be spoken to eradicate so much hatred and evil that we see in the world. We need hope.

Interview with Nataly Gabriela Alfaro, 16 years old and daughter of Isabel

My mother is a fighter and is giving me a good example to follow. She is responsible and manages a variety of goals. She looks ahead and she does not just get stuck. She enjoys work even if it is hard for her. I feel that she is really happy working with the micro business.

What she would say in a letter to her mother

“Dear Mother, thank you for the example that you give me in the way you work, for teaching me so many things. Thank you for the counsel that you give me while I help you at work and I am so proud of your work. You though you did not study want to allow me that chance. Thank you because with your work you help us all so much, supporting us economically at home. Thank you for everything, mom.”